


Only On TV

by ConnectingSmallDots



Series: Les Amis AUs [3]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Olympics, Figure Skater!Grantaire, French Olympians!Les Amis, M/M, Olympics AU, Skating, Sochi 2014, Winter Olympics, gold medals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-21
Updated: 2014-02-21
Packaged: 2018-01-13 07:35:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1217848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConnectingSmallDots/pseuds/ConnectingSmallDots
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics AU.<br/>Grantaire is a figure skater on the French team but he's never competed properly and not many people have seen him. He's made it this far but doubt sets in. Hope comes in the most unlikely place: Biathlon competitor Enjolras who Grantaire is definitely a bit in love with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Only On TV

**Author's Note:**

> So I was watching the Olympics today and this happened. I know I'm not brilliant at writing but I thought you guys may like it.  
> I tried to stay as accurate to results as possible and I mean no disrespect to any counties especially Canada (who I love) and Russia (who I also love). And the guy who genuinely **did** win the men's figure skating is incredible!!  
>  Enjoy.

"Relax. You're only on TV." Grantaire's coach says beside him, nudging him as they walk out into the bright lights and colours of the Sochi Olympic Stadium. 

It's been a while since Grantaire has heard so many people cheering and I can pick out French flags around the stadium among the thousands of Russian ones. 

"Just TV." Grantaire repeats, waving at a camera man but unable to bring a false smile to his face. It is lovely but the last thing he wants is the world seeing him.

"Oh lighten up, 'Taire." Jehan, part of the team for cross country, takes his arm. "It's just amazing that we qualified and look at this place." He's speaking so fast that it makes it easy to drown him out and Grantaire just rolls his eyes. 

"What are you doing?" He asks as Éponine appears and makes him pose for a selfie. She's one of two Alpine Skiers on the team, the other being Cosette.

"Selfie Olympics, dearest Grantaire. I've just got gold." Éponine laughs and Grantaire finds himself smiling a little. 

"That makes two gold medals for you then." He says.

"You flatter me but I doubt I'll get gold. I'd be happy with bronze and 'Sette could get silver. You'll get gold though." Éponine says it so confidently that Grantaire thinks he may believe her for a second. Then she's away to find Musichetta and Cosette as Grantaire finds himself engulfed by his team mates and close friends.

"This is so incredible. Look at it all." Courfeyrac laughs, waving furiously at crowds. He's like a kid in a candy shop with money for everything… and in goggles. He never seems to take his snowboarding goggles off, they're always in his hair when not on his eyes.

"Enjolras is doing well with the flag." Combeferre comments and they all glance forward to the blonde at the front, waving the flag like Grantaire thinks a French revolutionary would have. 

"He's France's best shot at gold. I doubt a flag would phase him." Feuilly hums as the volunteers- dressed as snowmen and dancing- take the flag and guide them all to their seats. 

"Look at all those smug Canadians." Bahorel glares across the stadium at the red and white blur. "So many of them. I hope we beat them at something."

"Or beat them against the ice rink walls." Feuilly punches his shoulder and they laugh, the two ice hockey players definitely looking forward to playing Canada.

"You might, R." Bahorel turns and grins at him from the seat in front.

"You heard what Enjolras said. I don't practice enough." Grantaire shakes his head, eyes flicking to the back of Enjolras' head at the front of their seats.

"You do when no one's looking. You skate beautifully when you're alone, no mistakes or anything." Jehan points out and Grantaire snorts.

"But now the world's looking." 

\-----------------------------------------

"Enjolras won gold!" Éponine screams, almost breaking the door with the force she opens it.

The French team takes less than a second to process this before they turn on the massive TV at their team room's centre and watch. 

"Oh my god! Marius got bronze too!" Cosette yelps as the images appear and the three medal winners stand with their arms in the air. 

"Enjolras is in tears, the silly thing." Musichetta comments in passing and they all laugh. 

Grantaire wishes he was there. He'd of loved to see Enjolras win but there will be other races he could claim gold and Enjolras probably wouldn't like him there. Probably wants him practicing for his event.

"If only he wasn't in the mountains." Jehan sighs. "We should have all been there." They watch as the two boys run off the podium into the arms of Courf, Combeferre, Bahorel and Feuilly who got away from training to go watch.

"He'll be back down later, don't you worry." Joly smiles, flicking through something on his tablet.

"It's so unfair. We don't have events for ages." Cosette complains, sitting down on Grantaire who rolls his eyes.

"It's Enjolras again then me." He says and there's gasps.

"We get to see you skating!" Éponine grins. "We haven't seen you skate before. It's ridiculous really." 

"I've seen him." Jehan says and they all turn to him. "It's absolutely stunning to watch. He's like a completely different person yet so Grantaire." 

"Poetical." Grantaire mutters and shoves Cosette off him. He gets up and leaves. If he gets there fast enough then maybe he can watch the Mogul finals.

\------------------------------------------

Skating, Grantaire's found, always clears his mind. It's about 10pm and he's alone in the practice rink, humming a tune under his breath as his skates. He's just going in circles currently, too tired to practice his routine or do anything exciting. His event is tomorrow. 

"Grantaire. You're missing out on the party."  
Grantaire slides to a stop and stands at the centre of the ice while Enjolras leans against the barriers. 

"It's for you, Apollo. You and your gold that you won two days ago." 

"You don't approve?" Enjolras asks as Grantaire starts skating again, trailing his right leg out behind him a little.

"Of your medal or the party?" Grantaire comments. "The celebrations go on too long and we almost forget it's a competition sometimes."

"You're competing tomorrow, yes?" Enjolras checks, opening the gate and stepping onto the rink. 

"Get mud on here and the Russians will kill you." Grantaire says in a way of an answer and Enjolras shows him the show grips on the underside of his trainers.

"I'm borrowing Combeferre's. Have no fear, I won't interrupt your circling." 

"Circling?" Grantaire stops again and tilt his head. 

"Well, you don't look to be practicing. You never seem to be practicing actually. Just watching other events and reading." Enjolras retorts and wanders round the edge of the rink slowly. 

"I don't like performing for others." Grantaire shoots, reaching down to untie his laces as he glides to the gate to get out. 

"Then why are you here?" 

Grantaire turns, now barefoot on the ice as he walks up to Enjolras, the feel of the marks clear underneath him. 

"Back home in Paris, I know a group of students who are such good friends that they spend their lives together like sisters and brothers. Those people are my friends and mean the world to me and they believe in me even if I do not."

There's an echoing silence as the two Olympians stare at each other before Grantaire turns back and wanders out.

"What do you believe in, if not yourself?" Enjolras calls before the door slams to be answered with one word.

"You." 

\------------------------------------------

"Today's the day, sleepy head." Bahorel wakes Grantaire at 9:30 and drags him down to breakfast where everyone else is sitting, munching toast and sausages.

"I feel like Jehan is the only one who's seen Grantaire skate currently but it won't be later, will it?" Courfeyrac grins, his googles round his neck today. Grantaire notices Enjolras is missing from the table instantly. 

"You're not the only one saying that. The press is going mad about you." Combeferre passes his phone down and Grantaire takes it. There's an entire article pondering how good he'll be and whether he can get another medal for France. Further down there's a few lines on Enjolras suspected to win gold today too. 

He passes it back and has to grab his own wrist to stop himself shaking. Six hours to go and he's already nervous. 

\------------------------------------------

"Grantaire." Enjolras calls out his name and walks over to join him. Sitting under the flame that burns high up in the Sochi park centre, Grantaire has his head in his hands. "What's wrong?"

"Don't you have to be up the mountains?" Grantaire ignores the question as Enjolras sits beside him. "You know, to win gold for France?" 

"You haven't answered my question. What's wrong?" Enjolras persists and Grantaire sighs loudly.

"I don't think I can do it." He admits and Enjolras frowns.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not good enough." Grantaire tilts his head back, trying very hard not to cry in front of Enjolras. 

"You don't know that." Enjolras shakes his head. "You could be better than everyone in there but you won't know if you don't try."

"What if I mess up? What if it goes wrong? I've never performed on such a big scale before." Grantaire frets like a young child on their first drama performance. 

"You're not performing to anyone. Why don't you skate in front of others?" Enjolras asks and Grantaire frowns slightly.

"I skate to ignore the world. Block it out and pretend it's just me." He says and Enjolras nods.

"I don't do biathlons because I can compete. I don't do it for the medals. I do it for me because I enjoy them." 

"I've heard they're the sweatiest sport in Winter Olympics." Grantaire laughs a little and Enjolras smiles.

"Thanks." He says and Grantaire stops laughing again. "Look, 'Taire. Just pretend there's no one there. Like in the practice arena last night, there's no one." 

"You were there last night." Grantaire reminds him but Enjolras ignores him.

"It doesn't matter about the medals in the end. If you're happy with what you do then you don't need a medal to be a winner." Enjolras takes his hands in his own and Grantaire nearly forgets how to breathe. 

"Did you get that off Jehan? That was so sappy." He says finally and Enjolras laughs.

"I'm not as cold as our events, no matter what you say back home." He gets to his feet and pulls Grantaire up with him. 

"Good luck." Grantaire says quietly as Enjolras' coach calls for him across the park.

"Jehan has my number. Before you skate, call me." Enjolras tells him and Grantaire looks confused.

"Even if you're on a podium?"

"Even if." Enjolras lets go of his hands and walks away. Grantaire stands there as he disappears and his heart is beating harder that it's stronger than the butterflies he has over later.

\------------------------------------------

"Relax, Grantaire." Jehan leans forward over the railings of the stands and Grantaire jumps onto his bench to be closer so he can hear him.

"I can't. Look at my hands." He holds out his arms, the shuddering visible from Jehan's distance. 

"You'll be fine, R. We know you can do it." Bahorel grins and his friends murmur in agreement. Enjolras is absent as he's travelling back down from the mountains currently. 

_Jehan has my number. Before you skate, call me. ___

__"Jehan, can I borrow your phone?" He asks suddenly and Jehan doesn't even ask questions before handing it over._ _

__Grantaire dials Enjolras' number and holds it to his ear, leaning back against the stand and Jehan rests his hands on his shoulders comfortingly._ _

__"I'm on next." Grantaire says the second Enjolras picks up and Enjolras hisses something to the others with him._ _

__"You'll be fine, you know." Enjolras reassures him and Grantaire struggles to believe him this time, the butterflies flapping furiously._ _

__"What if I mess up, Enjolras? France expects a medal of me."_ _

__"Don't hold me to this-" Enjolras says slowly, "-but screw France. Do it for you."_ _

__"What if I mess up for me?" Grantaire rephrases and there's silence for a while as Enjolras thinks about this._ _

__"You won't." Enjolras answers finally and confidently and Grantaire pauses._ _

__"How do you know? You've never seen me skate properly?" He puzzles and there's a softness he's never heard in Enjolras' voice as he repeats himself._ _

__"You won't."_ _

__The line goes dead and he hands Jehan's phone back, running his hands through his hair. He's not shaking as he enters the rink, getting a feel of the ice as his name is announced._ _

__Grantaire waves to the crowd a little and then directly at a camera who's owner calls out to him in French saying he's the French coverage._ _

__He stops in the centre of the ice and silence falls over the arena._ _

__Grantaire loves skating and he always has. He'd watch it on TV as a young boy and laugh at their music choices because he'd play better songs for their routines._ _

__Someone will do that for him now. He can hear the first few bars and the world falls away around him as he starts._ _

__He does most of his routine with his eyes closed. He knows how it works out, the turns and jumps and spins and sweeping movements, and he just lets it play._ _

__When he opens his eyes, the stadium is on it's feet and cheering. Grantaire laughs in surprise, bowing and running a hand through his hair. It didn't feel special out there but the replays on screen make it seem entirely different._ _

__"Thank you." He calls out in English as more people will understand that way and blows a kiss at the French camera._ _

__Grantaire knows it's not over yet and he's got the free skate to go tomorrow but that was amazing. He doesn't need the scores to know he's done well because he feels proud.__

His coach ushers him off the ice and over to his bench and the cameras follow. Grantaire leaps up onto the seat to reach over the stand to hug his friends who all try to reach him at once. 

__"That was incredible." Jehan tells him and Bahorel ruffles his hair._ _

__"I'm nearly in tears." Cosette declares and kisses his cheek. "You're beautiful."_ _

__Éponine hands him a flag from the small Russian girl beside her. "Sign it." She smiles. "You're biggest fan wants it for her wall." She translates the girls Russian, glad she took the language course._ _

__Grantaire signs it quickly before his coach tells him to turn round to see the scores. He reaches back to hold someone's hand, not sure who but it feels like Joly's._ _

__96.3_ _

__"Oh my god!" Grantaire yells and buries his face in his hands, leaning down to hug his coach. "I can't believe it. Oh my god."  
He's in first place and the 5 points ahead of second seems like a massive gap. _ _

__"I'm in first!" He screams up, jumping up and down as his friends try to reach him again, screaming and crying. He nearly falls backwards as he's still in his skates but Feuilly grabs him by the shoulders and holds him up briefly._ _

__"Grantaire. Stop making so much noise and watch the others." Grantaire's coach sits him down and forces him to remain relatively quiet while the rest perform. He was number 18 so there's only six after him and they aren't nearly as good._ _

__Éponine and Jehan manage to get past guards to come join him below, hugging him tightly and he can barely keep the smile from his face._ _

__"Interview time." His smile falters there as, instead of just leaving, he's dragged into the corridor and stood in front of cameras._ _

__"I'm here with France's new figure skating star, Grantaire." The report introduces and then laughs. "I see you've brought some friends."_ _

__"They won't let go of me." Grantaire answers brightly as Éponine and Jehan continue to cling to him tightly. "I can't imagine why."_ _

__"Your routine was breathtaking. How come this is the first time you've competed for France?" The interviewer asks and Grantaire has to think for a moment._ _

__"I skate to escape from the world so I never thought I was good enough to be in championships, let alone here." Grantaire answers finally._ _

__"Oh you most certainly are. Talk me through some of these moves here. How hard were they to do?"_ _

__Grantaire has to watch himself back on camera for a moment._ _

__"I nearly fell on that one. I overbalanced on the landing." He points out before shrugging Jehan off so he can run a hand through his hair. "Honestly, it's so hard to do skates without falling once or twice and all these professionals are incredible. Once you believe you can do something, it makes it easier but thinks like that are so tricky to pull off."_ _

__"Alright. Just one more question. We have some footage of you before your skate and you looked so nervous. Who were you talking to before you went on, if you don't mind us asking?" The reporter smiles bright and Grantaire doesn't hesitate._ _

__"France's biathlon champion, Enjolras. He couldn't be here to watch and he asked me to call before I went on."_ _

__"Alright. Thank you." The camera pans away and someone shoves Grantaire out into the changing rooms. Jehan and Éponine wait outside before the three leave the arena, sneaking past other reporters and to their team room._ _

__"Guess who's a little skating devil!" Courfeyrac calls as Grantaire enters the room and is promptly covered in hugs._ _

__"Grantaire."_ _

__Everyone steps back and Enjolras and Grantaire stare at each other for a moment before Grantaire laughs and throws himself into Enjolras' arms._ _

__"Thank you." He murmurs, ignoring the camera sounds from the others phones._ _

__"Don't thank me. You were incredible. I'm sorry about what I said about you practicing. You don't need it." Enjolras apologises and Grantaire cuts him off._ _

__"I've still got tomorrow, you know. I could still fail dramatically."_ _

__"You won't though." Enjolras says and then presses their lips together gently._ _

__Grantaire is sure he's won from that point on because the medals don't matter. He's got Enjolras by his side now so he could be offered the world and refuse comfortably._ _

__\------------------------------------------_ _

__Grantaire wins gold for France and Enjolras is there to see. The second he's off the ice he's in Enjolras arms and there's nothing Russia's laws can say to make him let go of Enjolras' hand as he's scores make him the Sochi Men's Figure Skating Champion._ _

**Author's Note:**

> I hoped you liked this! I'm a little in live so watch out for Rio because I'm pretty sure I may do one of those too! Oops.  
> Have a great day and I'm grateful you took the time to read. Comment or kudos if you want cause it's appreciated.


End file.
